Health, employment and relationships: Correlates of personal wellbeing in young adults with and without a history of childhood language impairment

Conti-Ramsden, G., Durkin, K., Mok, P.L.H., Toseeb, U. and Botting, N. (2016). Health, employment and relationships: Correlates of personal wellbeing in young adults with and without a history of childhood language impairment. Social Science & Medicine, 160, pp. 20-28. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.05.014

Abstract

Objective: We examine the potential associations between self-rated health, employment situation, relationship status and personal wellbeing in young adults with and without a history of language impairment (LI). Methods: A total of 172 24-year-olds from the UK participated. Approximately half (N = 84) had a history of LI. Personal wellbeing was measured using ratings from three questions from the Office for National Statistics regarding life satisfaction, happiness and life being worthwhile. Results: There were similarities between individuals with a history of LI and their age-matched peers in self-rated personal wellbeing. However, regression analyses revealed self-rated health was the most consistent predictor of personal wellbeing for individuals with a history of LI in relation to life satisfaction (21% of variance), happiness (11%) and perceptions that things one does in life are worthwhile (32%). None of the regression analyses were significant for their peers. Conclusions: Similarities on ratings of wellbeing by young adults with and without a history of LI can mask heterogeneity and important differences. Young adults with a history of LI are more vulnerable to the effects of health, employment and relationship status on their wellbeing than their peers.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2012, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Publisher Keywords:	Wellbeing; Self-rated health; Employment; Relationship status; Language impairment; Young adulthood
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Departments:	School of Health Sciences > Language & Communication Science
URI:	http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/14650